Building that collapsed killing 115 in earthquake criticised by report

A six-storey office building that collapsed and killed 115 people in New Zealand’s devastating earthquake last year was poorly designed, inadequately constructed and should never have been issued with a building permit, a government report said yesterday.

The Canterbury Television (CTV) building crumbled to the ground during the 6.1-magnitude earthquake that rocked Christchurch on February 22nd, 2011.

The building’s collapse was responsible for nearly two-thirds of the 185 deaths from the quake.

Today’s report was the final release from the government-ordered commission that spent months investigating the buildings damaged in the quake.

Findings released in February concluded the CTV building was made of weak columns and concrete and did not meet standards when it was built in 1986. The report found several deficiencies in the building’s engineering design and said the city council should never have issued the building a permit.

The commission concluded there were inadequacies in the building’s construction. – (AP)